Aladdin's Childhood
by Paleogirl47
Summary: Follow Aladdin's childhood from when his father left, to his relationship with his mother, becoming orphaned and having to live on the streets. This story takes place in the 1992 animated movie, borrowing some elements from the Broadway show, but it also mostly works for the 2019 movie too. I discovered that part of chapter 1 hadn't uploaded this is now fixed. Please R&R
1. Chapter 1

Cassim, Aladdin's father, looked over some receipts from his merchant business. Three-and-a-half-year-old Aladdin noticed the serious expression on his father's face. "Is everything ok, daddy?" Young Aladdin asked.

"Everything is fine," Cassim answered, "what do you want?"

Aladdin was taken back by the tone in his father's voice. He looked up at his father with his big sad brown eyes, "I came to see if you could tell me a bedtime story," the young boy looked down trying not to make his father mad, "I put on my pajamas, brushed my teeth, and I even went potty for mommy," a smile creeped up on his face, feeling proud about how grown up he was.

"All right," Cassim sighed, "just because you have been so good, but if I tell you a story you have to promise you will go to sleep right away and not bother me."

"Yes, daddy," the young boy answered. Aladdin made his way to the small bed in the corner of the room.

"Have I ever told you the story of Alibaba and the forty thieves?" Cassim asked his son.

"I think that story is too scary for bedtime," Aladdin's mother interjected.

"He has to learn about the difficulties of life sometime, Rahna," Cassim fussed at his wife.

Aladdin listened to his father telling of the horrible deeds of the forty thieves and how Alibaba was able to find out the secret password, sneak in and return the items the thieves stole. After he finished his story Cassim wished his young son goodnight.

As Aladdin lay in bed with images of horrendous thieves in his head, he heard his father talking to his mother.

"You coddle that boy too much," Cassim barked at Rahna.

"Praising him when he does what I want him to do, is not coddling him," Aladdin's mother whispered angerly back at her husband, "All he wants is for you to be proud of him. He's very smart, and is very excited about starting school in two years. He also talks better than most children his age. You need to show him you, actually like him. Why don't you take him to work with you tomorrow at your stand?" Rahna suggested to her husband.

"I suppose as long as he promises to stay out of trouble, he can go to work with me tomorrow," Cassim agreed with an unenthusiastic tone in his voice.

The next morning while they were eating breakfast, Cassim turned to his young son. "If you are on your best behavior, you can join me at the stand in the market."

"Yes, daddy," Aladdin answered his father.

"Sit there," Cassim directed his son to the corner of the tent, "don't move, and don't talk to anyone."

"Yes, daddy," Aladdin answered. The young boy held the small doll his mother had made him and an apple she had given him to eat.

While Cassim started to unroll carpets, polish pots, and layout jewelry, Aladdin amused himself by watching the people in the marketplace go by. Old men pushed carts of vegetables, mothers held crying babies while they inspected fabric, and young children ran through the street.

As he studied the people of the marketplace Aladdin saw some people he didn't recognize. His mother had taught him not to judge people by appearances, but with their dark turbans and scarves pulled to cover their faces they seemed very sinister to the young boy.

"Cassim," A tall skinny man with a black turban and dark blue tunic whispered loudly to Aladdin's father, "do you really believe you have found the location of the Hand of Midas?"

"Careful," Cassim hissed as he pointed to his son, "little boys can have big ears."

The stranger nodded. "I know exactly what you mean, I have also been forced to take my son with me." The man pointed to a young boy who looked about six years old who was standing behind him. The boy had ghostly pale skin, glossy black hair and was dressed in black satin pants, and an expensive looking blue brocade jacket. "May I introduce you to my son, Mozanrath."

"Why don't you sit next to my son Aladdin, Mozenrath." Cassim suggested.

"Oh, ok," Mozenrath replied as he rolled his eyes and sat next to Aladdin. "Move over," the pale skinned boy snapped.

Cassim pulled Mozenrath's dad over to him on the other side of the tent yes, I believe I have finally found the map."

The two boys sat silently in their spot for hours while the adults kept talking about things they didn't understand and clearly weren't supposed to know about. They assumed if they were allowed to know what they were talking about, they wouldn't have had to keep sitting still so far away from the heated discussion.

Because he was three years old Aladdin was not able to sit still any longer after being good for three hours. The young boy jumped up from his spot and ran up to his father and grabbed his robe. "Daddy, I have to go to the privy," he whispered loudly.

"Can't you see I'm busy at the moment," Cassim fussed at his son, "you'll just have to wait."

"But I have to go now, I've been waiting forever," the young boy started to cry.

A look of guilt came upon Cassim's face, maybe he was starting to realize how unfair he had been for once. Mozenrath's father stepped up, "I'll send my son to go with you, so your father and I can continue our important talk," the stranger turned to his son, "Did you hear that Mozenrath, you are to go to the privy with Aladdin."

"But I don't have to go," Mozenrath whined.

"You will do what I tell you to," his father barked, "and don't forget to wash your hands. You don't need any weird diseases."

Monzenrath roughly grabbed Aladdin's hand and dragged him down the ally-way. "I'll keep watch at the door so no one else will try to come in," the pale skinned boy said in an unamused tone.

"I would join you to find the hand of Midias," Aladdin herd his father's voice echoing in the ally, "but I can't because I have to take care of my brat."

The young boy couldn't believe it, did his father actually think of him as a brat.

"I understand how you feel," Aladdin heard Mozenrath's father speak up, "That's why I'm going to drop my son off in the Kingdom of the Black Sand, the ruler Destane owes me big, so I believe playing baby sitter is not out of the question. To be honest I quite regret getting Mozenrath's mother pregnant."

Aladdin heard a sudden knock on the privy door, "Hurry up, I have to go now," Mozenrath said on the verge of tears. Even though Aladdin was only three he could tell Mozenrath had heard the grown up's hurtful conversation.

"Aladdin, baby, what's wrong?" Rahna asked her young son, "you were quite all through dinner, your bath, and now you didn't even ask for a bedtime story, are you feeling alright?"

"Yes," Aladdin answered quietly.

"You are my good boy and I will always love you," Rahna told her son as she leaned in to give him a goodnight kiss.

At three o'clock in the morning Aladdin woke up from a bad dream, he looked around the room. The room was mostly dark, expect for a small lamp burning dimly, that Aladdin's parents left on for him in case he woke up in the middle of the night. He looked around the room, he saw his mother sleeping in her bed, but noticed his father's bed was empty and the door was left partially open.

Aladdin knew why his father had left and it was all his fault. The young boy started to cry, awakening his mother.

"What's wrong baby?" Rahna asked him.

"Daddy's gone and it's all my fault. If I wasn't such a brat, he wouldn't have left." The young boy sobbed.

"Aladdin don't say things like that," his mother scolded, "he probably just needed to use the privy, he will be coming back soon." She tried to assure her son.

He never came back.

Four years later,

"Aladdin Mohamed Rajesh!" hearing his full name could only mean he was in big trouble, "care to explain this note from your teacher."


	2. Chapter 2

"The note says you are not paying attention in class, and that you are failing math, you know that 11 plus 5 doesn't equal 15." Rahna scolded her son.

"It's just so hard to focus," Aladdin admitted, "when I try to math the numbers all run together and look the same. I want to go back home, I'm tired of living with Uncle Hameed, Aunt Leyla, and Auntie Ayshia, and I'm tired of sharing a room with my cousins. Mommy, you won't believe what they did to me last night," a tear ran down eight-year-old Aladdin's cheek.

"What could they have possibly, done to you this time, they didn't lock you in the outhouse again did they." Rahna gave her son a hug.

Aladdin pulled back from his mother's embrace, "No, Nadar poured a bucket of water on me while I was trying to sleep, soaking me and my bed."

"I'm sorry he did that, but you know he is just trying to get attention. Being a middle child and Surjan's twin he feels a need to call attention to himself. I know it seems bad at the moment, but you know why we can't go back home, since your father left us with nothing, I couldn't pay rent, we should be grateful my brother and his wives could take us in or we would be living on the streets." Rahna pulled Aladdin back for another hug.

Early the next morning Aladdin felt himself being shaken awake. The young boy awoke to see his cousin Surjan hovering over him. Surjan was his 13-year-old cousin, and the twin sister of his cousin Nadar. She was five years older than Aladdin. She was always going on and on about how grown up she was. She even got her nose pierced for her last birthday and would not let any of her siblings or Aladdin forget it.

"What is it this time?" Aladdin moaned, as he pulled his blanket over his head.

Surjan pulled the blanket off Aladdin, "It's your mother, she has suddenly become sick. She is having a lot of abdominal pain and is violently sick to her stomach. My mother thinks she has cholera, the doctor is on his way and she is asking for you."

Aladdin silently got out of his bed and followed his older cousin.

Aladdin found his mother lying on a mat on the floor looking absolutely miserable, with the town doctor sitting next to her.

The doctor got up from Rahna's side and walked over the eight-year-old boy. "Aladdin, your mother is very sick. She has lost a lot of fluids from her body, and I do not believe she will ever return to her previous state of health," The doctor put his hand on Aladdin's shoulder, "she is very weak. I'm afraid she will only be able to live for a few more years."

Aladdin fought back tears, he wanted to run over to his mother and hide in her loving embrace. But he knew he had to keep his distance so he wouldn't get cholera too.

"I won't let you die mommy, I promise," Aladdin swore fighting back tears as Surjan gave him a tight hug.

two years later

"I have something I need to tell you," Aladdin's fifteen-year-old cousin Surjan sat next to him on his bed. The ten-year-old boy set down the book he had been reading.

"What is it?" Aladdin asked with concern in his voice.

"Well, as you know I am now fifteen. I'm sure you know when girls turn fifteen, they often get married. So, I'm going to be getting married soon." Surjan put her arm on her little cousin's shoulder.

"You're getting married, that means you will be moving away," tears started to swell up in Aladdin's eyes.

"Yes, I am going to move away. My betrothed's family live in Bangladesh." Surjan whipped a tear from her eyes.

"Bangladesh is so far away," Aladdin sobbed, "I'll never see you again."

"That's not true at all, I'll send for you to come and visit once I am settled in. I can't believe that you would think that I wouldn't miss my favorite pain in the butt little cousin," Surjan smiled as she gently stroked her little cousin's hair, "plus his family's home is so much nicer. It's almost a palace, they even have an indoor toilet," she said with a small giggle. Which caused Aladdin to fake a smile for his cousin.

Suddenly, the door to the children's bedroom burst open. "Aladdin, it's your mother. She has taken a turn for the worse. And I'm afraid she doesn't have much time left," the town doctor yelled.

Aladdin ran into the room that his mother shared with his Aunties. Rahna lay in her bed, looking weak and pale.

"Mommy," Aladdin cried as he ran to his mother. She reached and touched his wavy black hair.

"I have something I should have given you a long time ago," She pointed to a small case by her bed. Aladdin picked up the wooden case. He opened it and found an ornate dagger, "this is the only thing your father left us. I wanted to save it until you were older, but I think should have given it to you earlier. It might have helped you with some of your issues." She said with a weak smile.

Aladdin kneeled next to his mother's bed; he gave her a firm but gentle hug. "I'm sorry I've been such a screwed-up kid." Tears quietly rolled down his cheeks.

Rahna gently grabbed her son's hand, "You are not a screw-up, you are just a late bloomer, you are going to do great things. I believe in you." His mother gave her son one last hug and kiss as Aladdin said his final goodbye to his mother.

To be continued…


	3. Chapter 3

Rahna's funeral was a small affair. Traditional prayers were said, but the three days of morning were interrupted by the preparations for Surjan's wedding, causing Aladdin to feel like he had no value to his uncle and aunts. Why would they deny a 10-year-old the right to mourn his mother? Was he that much of a burden to them?

"Hold still Aladdin," Surjan hissed at her little cousin, "you don't want get stuck by the pins."

"I don't know why we all have to get fitted for new clothes?" Aladdin grumbled, "My clothes are fine."

Surjan giggled, "Because, silly, we need to make a good impression on my husband-to-be's family."

"Then why do I need new underwear? They will not be seeing that." Aladdin asked earnestly, only to be wacked on the head by the side of, Surjan's mother, Auntie Ayshia's hand.

"We will have none of that disrespectful attitude. Be grateful we are letting you come to the wedding at all and we do not need any of your disobedience."

Aladdin stood quietly for the rest of his fitting, he hated being a disappointment to others.

Surjan's husband-to-be and his family arrived while Aladdin's uncle, aunties, and cousins were finishing up the wedding preparations. He was a tall stately man, with long curly black hair. Aladdin thought he looked at least five years older than Surjan. Aladdin found out that Surjan's betrothed's name was Darius. He was originally was from Persia, but moved to Bangladesh with his parents to expand his family's export business a few years ago.

But pretentious foreigners weren't his only concern at the moment; Aladdin's new wedding suit had been delivered from the tailor.

"Hurry put this on," Auntie Ayshia ordered handing her nephew a pile of pink, white and yellow silk fabric.

Aladdin took his new clothes to the bedroom he shared with his cousins. He quickly checked the room to make sure he was alone. Having complete privacy was luxury he never took for granted.

Aladdin started by putting on the new underwear, which he thought were extremely uncomfortable and stiff. The new pair of pants to wear over them were not much better, they were heavy, bulky, and they ballooned around his legs in a stupid looking way. And to add insult to injury the pants were an obnoxious shade of yellow. He next put on a white shirt that was scratchy at the neck, and the sleeves billowed down to his fingertips. Over the shirt he had to wear a pink and yellow jacket, that buttoned all the way up the neck, which was paired with a stupid looking hat. The hat was almost as big as Aladdin's head and was in the horrible pink, yellow and white color theme of the rest of the outfit.

Looking at himself in the washstand mirror, Aladdin thought he could not look like a bigger idiot. Moving in his new suit was physically painful because it was heavy and greatly restricted his movement.

Suddenly, the bedroom door flung open, "You look so stupid in that suit, Aladdin," cousin Nadar laughed.

"Actually, Aladdin is what makes the suit look stupid," Aladdin's cousin Amal joined in.

Aladdin felt like he was going to die at the wedding if anyone saw him looking like this, but he knew that he would probably get punished by his uncle and aunts if he wore something different to the wedding.

Aladdin sneaked into the room being used to get Surjan ready for the wedding. Her face lit up when she saw her little cousin, she didn't seem to care that he was wearing the ugliest wedding outfit ever. She was just happy to see him. "You would not believe how lonely it gets when you are not aloud to leave the same room, until the wedding tonight."

"It must be so hard to marry someone you haven't met," Aladdin said sitting on the bed next to her.

"Yes, it is," Surjan answered honestly, "but unfortunately I do not have a choice. The only purpose my parents ever had for me was to take care of my younger siblings, get married to a man from a wealthy family, and to give my father-in-law a lot of grandsons." A tear ran down her coffee colored cheek.

"That is so unfair," Aladdin said moved with emotion, "maybe one day I will be able to change that rule."

"It would be a very difficult thing to do, a thousand years of tradition does not change easily." Surjan softly replied.

"May I please ask you for a favor?" Aladdin looked up at Surjan with his big brown eyes.

"Now why on Earth, would I do a favor for my pain-in-the-butt little cousin," she laughed.

"Because I am your favorite cousin, duh," Aladdin laughed back. The young boy grew more serious, "After the wedding can you please ask Darius if I can live with you. I have a strong feeling that things will not go well for me once you leave."

"I can ask," Surjan replied, Aladdin was taken aback by how stern her voice became. She rose from her spot on the bed. When she stood up Aladdin could see her wedding costume clearly. She wore long blue skirt with gold trim, a small blue Sari top, on her midriff she had henna painted around her bellybutton in a beautiful complex design. She had gold bangles on her wrists, a sparkly diamond nose ring, large gold earrings, and blue and gold veil entwinned in her black curly hair.

It finally was time for the wedding ceremony. Aladdin knew the ceremony was going to be long, one of the reasons he thought was because Surjan and Darius were of different religious faiths. Surjan's mother had raised her Hindu, and Darius was raised Muslim. After listening to two different religious leaders taking turns praying and reading sacred texts while having to sit perfectly still for almost two hours, reminded Aladdin of when his father had made him sit still and quietly while he discussed business years ago. If only he had been able to sit still for a while longer maybe his father wouldn't have left, thought to himself.

The wedding was followed by the wedding feast, which was then followed by the wedding party. Aladdin didn't stay for most of it, he pretended that he had to use the outhouse, but instead sneaked back into the room he shared with his cousins. After watching how egotistical and controlling Darius was, Aladdin knew he would never be allowed to live with Surjan, so he had come up with a master plan.

Checking to make sure he had the room to himself, Aladdin changed back into his regular clothes. He breathed a sigh of relief after getting out of that horrible outfit, and into the practical and comfortable shirt, pants, and vest he normally wore. He pulled a canvas bag out of the chest that contained his few earthly belongings. He filled the bag with his other set of clothes, purposely not putting in that ridiculous wedding suit, his night-shirt, some extra pairs of underwear, his father's dagger and a blanket. Next, he put in some fruit and bread he had saved from dinner, and a jug of water saved from the kitchen.

He sneaked out from the back of the house, while everyone else was still at the party, and took out into the night. He decided to go back to Agrabah because that was where, he considered his true home to be.

To be continued ….

Author's note: While writing this story I modeled Surjan to be a mix of Katara from Avatar the Last Air Bender, and Shanti from Jungle Book 2. Does anyone else read her character that way.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Four Years Later

14-year-old Aladdin awoke in his make-shift bed in his roof top hide-away. His hide-away had a beautiful view of the sunrise over the city of Agrabah. The street boy could also see across the street the very building that his family had lived in so long ago.

Aladdin was surprised that in the four years since he left his uncle's house that no members of his family had tried to contact him.

Pulling himself out of bed and walking over to a rope that strung from one end of the small shed like building on the roof top to the other. Pulling his clothes off the line, that Aladdin had washed the night before. He might live on the street, but he still had standards. Aladdin had grown a lot in the last four years, the clothes he had brought with him no longer fit him, so he had to improvise. He had made a pair of dhoti pants out of an old discarded tablecloth, held in place with a brown belt. Aladdin's friend Babkak thought it was very funny to grab Aladdin's belt, so that his pants would fall down. Aladdin did not find this funny at all. He put on the vest he had made from his old shirt and topped off his look off with a tiny red fez he had found in a garbage pile.

After getting dressed, Aladdin climbed down from the roof and headed to the public privy. Glancing ar the broken mirror someone had nailed on the privy door, Aladdin gasped in horror when he saw his face. His face was covered in red greasy spots. He touched one of the spots and it hurt badly. Had he contracted a contagious disease in the night?

Aladdin made his way to the well to wash up and hoped that no one would notice the horrible pox he had developed. But it was too late, Aladdin was greeted by his fellow street rats, Babkak, Omar and Kassim (Aladdin hated that his friend's name was so close to the name of his deserter father), made their way straight towards him.

"What's new?" Omar asked.

"His face," Babkak laughed.

Aladdin turned red as he tried to cover his face, he didn't want anyone to look at him.

"Hey, Al, you don't need to freak out so much," Babkak laughed, "you just have pimples."

"Pimples?" Aladdin asked with a look of horror on his face.

"It's just a normal part of puberty," Babkak explained.

"Puberty?" Aladdin asked very confused.

"Seriously, your mom never had 'the talk' with you?" judging by the look on Aladdin's face, Babkak assumed the answer was no. "This is so awkward," Babkak moaned, " ok so your body is starting to change into an adult, and you may have noticed that your skin get's greasier, which is causing the pimples. How have you not noticed that your voice has changed or that you now have hair growing in new places."

Aladdin started to squirm uncomfortably.

"And that you are more interested in girls than you used to be, and they make you feel things you haven't felt before," Kassim added.

Aladdin looked like he could cry, "how do we stop it?" he asked softly.

"We can steal you some new soap, when we take our breakfast," Omar suggested, "but you can't stop puberty at all."

"I definitely don't want to look like I spilled something on my face."

Aladdin wouldn't consider himself vain, but he knew he was good looking and wanted to stay that way.

The four teenage boys made their way into the market. The plan was Omar would grab some bananas and grapes, Kassim would take the soap, Babkak would grab some rolls, while Aladdin would be the distraction. Aladdin didn't like always having to be the distraction just because he was the youngest, but he didn't feel like his stealing game would at its best today anyways, so it wasn't worth arguing for a role change.

Aladdin had to quickly think of an effective way to keep the venders away from there stands long enough for his friends to grab the goods, but also not bring the attention of the royal guards who had no tolerance for stealing. Then he saw it, a large hairy man was standing nearby with a cage that contained a small monkey.

"Come see Abu, the world-famous dancing monkey," the large man yelled. He pulled out a stick and started poking the monkey trying to get it to dance. Seeing how miserable Abu looked made Aladdin feel sad. He decided that breaking the monkey free would be a great distraction.

Aladdin coolly walked up to the man. "Hey, is this monkey really world-famous?" Aladdin laughed skeptically.

"Of course, he is world famous. Do I look like a dishonest man?" the man angerly asked Aladdin.

Aladdin leaned closer to the cage; as the man continued to try to prove his authenticity, the street boy grabbed the door of the cage, springing the monkey free. The man ran after Aladdin and Abu yelling, but they were both smaller and faster than him.

A crowd started to gather around, some cheering for Aladdin, others booing him, as he and Abu scampered up a scaffolding far out of the reach of their large pursuer.

"Be free World-Famous Abu," Aladdin cheered as the small monkey scampered off. He was sad to see the cute little monkey take off, but the street boy knew that monkeys were better off in the wild.

Babkak, Omar and Kassim met back up with Aladdin on the roof of a local apartment building. "We got the goods," Babkak laughed as the boys each brought out their spoils. The four of them sharing the bananas, grapes and rolls.

Aladdin picked up the soap, it smelled strong. The odor was kind of familiar, but the 14-year-old street boy couldn't place it. "What's so special about this soap anyways?" His face looked confused.

"It's the only soap that is strong enough to get rid of your acne," Kassim explained coolly, "it has lye, alkali, and cypress oil in it."

That would explain the smell, Aladdin thought to himself. Babkak picked up the bar and pretended to scrub Aladdin's face with it. Aladdin was tried hard not to laugh.

"So what you're going to need to do," Kassim continued, "is go take a real bath, not just dumping a bucket of water from the well on yourself. Scrubbing your whole body with the soap, to make sure the pimples don't spread," a mischievous smile came on his face, "you will have to go to the Agrabahian Bathhouse."

"I've never been to a bathhouse before," Aladdin explained, "wouldn't it be easier and safer to just steal a bathtub?"

"Then what would you do, Al, somehow get it up to your ROOF-TOP hideout?" Omar pantomimed to stress the stupidity of Aladdin's idea.

Kassim leaned in closer to the youngest street boy, "The bathhouse is probably the closest thing to a palace you will ever see. Large pools to swim in, beautiful tile work, perfume, indoor toilets, and the best part, naked girls!" The excitement on Kassim's face creeped Aladdin out.

Aladdin looked like he was going to throw up, "I don't want to see naked girls, gross!"

Omar grabbed Aladdin to keep him from passing out. "Don't worry Al, you'll just sneak in and hide until the bath is closed for the night. You won't have to see anyone, and no one will see you. You can just take your bath and leave."

Maybe having pimples wasn't as bad as Aladdin previously thought. He was also starting to wonder if this was a practical joke that his buddies were playing on him. But at the same time, they were older than him, and obviously knew more about puberty than Aladdin did.

Babkak, Omar, and Kassim led Aladdin to the bathhouse. Upon arriving Aladdin noticed the bathhouse didn't seem to be for public use, it also appeared to be part of a wealthy person's mansion.

Kassim moved a tall wooden ladder, lining it up with a third story window. "Here you go, this is the window right by the large pool," Kassim explained as he smugly leaned against the blue wall of the bathhouse. He handed Aladdin the soap. Aladdin just wanted to get this over with as soon as possible and go back home. He awkwardly stripped down to his underwear. There was no way he was going to risk being completely undressed in the case someone might see him.

Aladdin quickly and quietly climbed up the ladder and through the window. He slid on to the tiled bathroom floor.

He looked around the room. Thr ornate tile work surrounding the biggest pool was the most amazing tiling the street boy had ever seen. The room was also decorated with large pots filled with small palms and large ferns, very expensive curtains and stacks of expensive looking towels. Seeing that the room appeared to be empty, Aladdin slipped into the pool with his special soap. He franticly scrubbed himself. The 14-year-old street boy had to admit, getting to swim and bathe in the fancy pool was actually really nice, though Aladdin would not let his friends know that.

While he was enjoying himself so much, Aladdin forgot to keep watch on the door. He started pulling himself out of the pool, when he heard the large ornate door to the bathroom start to open. Aladdin burst out of the pool, across the deck and behind a fancy curtain that separated the other part of the bathroom from the pool, leaving a trail puddles, from his wet body and clothes.

As he hid behind the curtain, Aladdin wished he had been on the other side of the room, so he might have been able to scoot out the same window he came through. The street boy knew that his situation would look bad: breaking into someone else's bathhouse, taking a bath, and hiding behind the curtains in his underwear. Aladdin didn't know how he was going to get out of this.

But he didn't have time to figure it out, his curtain was ripped from in front of him, and he found himself face to face with a girl about his same age. Aladdin wanted to scream but held in the urge.

"What are you doing here?" the girl asked. She had pale skin and long dark brown curls, that reminded Aladdin of the chocolate he had seen in the marketplace. She wore a cream-colored silk robe; Aladdin was relieved that she was not naked like the girls Kassim had mentioned earlier.

Aladdin didn't know why, but suddenly he found himself telling the girl his whole story, about the acne, the soap, running away from his cruel family, not doing well in school and the death of his mother. To his surprise the girl just stood there and listened, she didn't freak out, scream or tried to slap him.

"Aladdin," she started, "they call me Fatima. I am a member of this harem you broke into; I am very educated, and I think I can help you with your problem. Just stay here and I will come right back." With that the chocolate haired girl left from the same door she had entered in. Giving Aladdin a chance to breathe a sigh of relief.

Aladdin sat down on the cold tile floor as he waited for Fatima to return. Normally he would have wanted to look around the room to help pass the time, but he wasn't sure if she would change her mind about helping him, if she thought he was being nosy. Luckily, he didn't have to wait long because Fatima returned with two books in her hand.

"Why don't you borrow these, now that you know where I live," she explained as she walked up to Aladdin, "first I have this basic studies book. It should help you catch up with your reading and math. I can tell you are very smart; you just need to study at your own pace. The second book is on health and human anatomy. It might be able to help you with the 'problems' you have been having with your body,"

Aladdin thanked her and accepted the books.

Aladdin climbed back down the window ladder. "You're finally back. I was starting to wonder if you went down the toilet or something." Babkak said sarcastically, "Hey what's with the books?"

"I met a girl," Aladdin said with hearts in his eyes, "and before you ask Kassim, she had all her clothes on, and she gave me these books," Aladdin held the books out to Babkak and Kassim.

"Great, she gives you books. What's next a marriage proposal." Aladdin could tell by the tone in Babkak's voice that he really didn't care about the whole incident, "you remembered to get the soap back, right?"

"Of course, I did, what kinda of an idiot do you think I am," Aladdin retorted defensively, "by the way where is Omar?"

"He went to get us some dinner, since you missed lunch while you were with your girlfriend," Kassim snapped.

Aladdin didn't understand why his friends were so pissed, why weren't they being more supportive. Aladdin didn't get to keep thinking about what was going on, because Omar came around the corner of a local building carrying a bowl of something lumpy and yellow.

"I missed having my official distraction man," Omar called to Aladdin.

So that's why everyone is mad at me, Aladdin thought.

"You'll never guess what I was able to snatch," Omar beamed proudly, "a bowl of chicken curry. I don't know when the last time we were able to have meat was."

"How were you able to acquire this?" Babkak asked suspiciously.

"It was just sitting out in a windowsill," Omar shrugged.

The four street boys dug into Omar's spoils. Aladdin thought the chicken curry tasted a bit odd, maybe it had been so long since he had that dish that he had forgotten what it tasted like.

The next morning Aladdin didn't want to get out of bed, normally he liked to watch the sunrise over Agrabah, but this morning felt very weak. He had spent the previous night puking his guts out. He was truly miserable, and since Aladdin couldn't eat much food on the regular, losing his dinner had a severe impact on his body. He decided that the only thing that could explain his stomach distress.

Aladdin laid in his bed until nearly noon. He would have stayed in bed longer, but his bladder got the best of him, and he descended from his roof top hide away to use the outhouse, that was just around the corner.

After he finished in the outhouse Aladdin, felt his stomach gargle loudly. He was ravenous. After losing most of the food he had eaten the day before and not being able to eat because he was sick to his stomach, Aladdin felt too weak to climb back to his roof top hide away. The street boy started to wonder if he had what his mother referred to as 'food poisoning'. His father had it when Aladdin was very young, Aladdin didn't remember to much about it, except his father was violently sick to his stomach and couldn't get out of bed. The three-year old street boy had been scared that his father was going to die.

Aladdin sat down and leaned against the side of the building he lived in. He started to panic. Without anyone to take care of him, would he have a chance of dying himself?

As all hope felt lost, Aladdin spied a small monkey carrying a bowl of watermelon running towards him.

To be continued…


	5. Chapter 5

Epilogue

After Abu's kind act of giving Aladdin the watermelon, which helped him have gain the strength and energy to get better, the two of them became thick as thieves, literally. They spent their days stealing scraps of food, running from the guards, and goofing off with Babkak, Omar and Kassim.

All of this would change on one fateful day, right before Aladdin's 20th birthday, when he met a beautiful stranger in the marketplace. Starting his adventure with the magic lamp, Genie, three wishes and falling in love with Princess Jasmine of Agrabah.

Aladdin went on to battle Mozenrath, the pale skinned boy he met when was three at his father's market stall, who grew up to be a megalomaniac wizard bent on ruling the world. He also went on marry his princess and get reunited with his father. Aladdin knew his mother was watching him from Heaven and was finally proud of her boy and the man he grew up to be.

A/N: Thank you all for all the follows and the nice review. This story has finally come to an end, but don't worry I have some other great Aladdin fanfics planned that you can watch out for, such a 1950s AU retelling of Aladdin that should be coming up in the next couple of weeks. Thank you all very much, Salaam.


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